Looking for Baltimore recs

I have a 3-day conference in Baltimore next month and I'll be staying in the Inner Harbor with a bunch of colleagues who are not necessarily the most food-oriented people there are. Are there any halfway decent places in the immediate vicinity, or even a good crab house a short taxi ride away?

I'm hoping to catch an O's game at least one of the evenings, so if that pans out I'll be eating at the ballpark that night.

"Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires." --John Steinbeck

"Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops."--Arsenic and Old Lace

I don't know where you're staying, but I'd suggest taking a cab if you go to Obrycki's or up to the Lexington Market (both of which I recommend). Although some of Baltimore is quite safe, neighborhoods can change block by block.

Barron's magazine has several Baltimore area suggestions in the current edition.

They like Black Olive, a coastal Greek cuisine restaurant and upscale inn in the Fells Point neighborhood.

Upon arrival, the waiter guides you to a chilled glass counter for you to pick your dinner from the day’s catch—grilled dorade or sautéed barbouni (a small-boned fish that the ancient Greeks deemed the only fish an acceptable offering to the gods.)

814 S. Bond Street, Baltimore, MD 21231Telephone:410.276.7141

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and Pazo, a fiery Spanish restaurant nearby. This grand house is known for casual, creative cuisine:

We'll be in Baltimore next month Sept. 7-9. We have tkts to Yankee-Orioles games on both the eve of Fri 9/7 (with friends who live in Balt.) and the afternoon of Sun 9/9 (Stony Brook has an alumni event/section). I have no doubt that, including our driving costs (we're staying with friends), these Yankee games will wind up costing less than if we just bought tkts to home games at Yankee Stadium. In between, we'll get to Saturday's "Hampdenfest 2012" (a couple of our friends live in the neighborhood & are part of this). http://hampdenfest.blogspot.com All we have to do now is figure out which crab house to eat at on Sunday after the game. Recommendations?

The NY Times visits Baltimore on an arts oriented visit. They found some food, though. This place is just off Key Highway (exit 55 on I-95, first exit south of the McHenry Tunnel)

Call it the great democratizer: it’s hard to find a Baltimorean who doesn’t enjoy wielding the mallet. L. P. Steamers (1100 East Fort Avenue; 410-576-9294; lpsteamers.com) is a purist’s crab house. There, waiters dump buckets of fresh-caught Old Bay-coated steamed crab onto brown paper for diners to whack, smash, pry, shuck and suck out the tender white meat. For two people, a dozen mediums ($50) and a pitcher of Baltimore’s signature swill, National Bohemian a k a Natty Boh ($9) should do the trick. Snag a table on the restaurant’s upper deck and watch the sun set over one of Baltimore’s best views.

Ramshackle elegance is a nice phrase, it would seem to describe many parts of Baltimore

Several arts districts have popped up in Baltimore in the past decade. The most successful has been Station North (www.stationnorth.org), the downtown area inhabited by artists, actors and students (and dropouts) from the nearby Maryland Institute College of Art and University of Baltimore. Over the past year, a project called Open Walls (openwallsbaltimore.com) has commissioned works from more than 20 street artists, whose murals animate the neighborhood’s ramshackle elegance. You can see an art show, hear local sounds or catch a screening at the Metro Gallery (1700 North Charles Street; 410-244-0899; themetrogallery.net) or the Windup Space (12 West North Avenue; 410-244-8855; thewindupspace.com). Yet when it comes to night life, what Baltimore does best is the dive bar. There may be none better than Club Charles (1724 North Charles Street; 410-727-8815), a grimy, kitschy little joint with a masterful jukebox and regulars like the electro-pop ringleader Dan Deacon

I haven't eaten in baltimore in years, but the stillwater guy has a bar called of love and regret that serves the kind of beer I really like.

That's a great lead, and it's open seven days. Thanks for mentioning it. Bar of Love and Regret, 1028 S. Conkling St. It looks like you'd take the exit 57 from I-95 South, then west on O'Donnell to Conkling. Right to 1028. Doesn't look like there's a way to access it from 895 / Harbor Tunnel toll road.

Jack's Bistro, which has more limited hours (W-Su) is located at 3123 Elliott (same exit, same west on O'Donnell, then left on East to right on Elliott.

The Lexington Market might be right up your alley. I had a blast there, eating from a # of stalls.... from fried innards to crabs to other local goodies, its worth the visit. Very racially & ethnically diverse in both vendors and customers. When we were there, live soul music (James Brown variety) was on a small stage commanding a solidly appreciative audience.

The Lexington Market might be right up your alley. I had a blast there, eating from a # of stalls.... from fried innards to crabs to other local goodies, its worth the visit. Very racially & ethnically diverse in both vendors and customers. When we were there, live soul music (James Brown variety) was on a small stage commanding a solidly appreciative audience.

I wanted to visit Lexington Market on our last visit, but the various other obligations got in the way. It has its own station on the light rail, making it convenient to many points in town and the BWI airport. I believe, although I'm not certain, that the free "downtown circulator" bus also stops there.

The Lexington Market might be right up your alley. I had a blast there, eating from a # of stalls.... from fried innards to crabs to other local goodies, its worth the visit. Very racially & ethnically diverse in both vendors and customers. When we were there, live soul music (James Brown variety) was on a small stage commanding a solidly appreciative audience.